A New Steakhouse In Slidell

 St. Tammany Parish could see a new steakhouse at the proposed Camellia Bay Casino in Slidell. The restaurant will be opened by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and renowned chef John Folse.

Brees is confident in his partnership with chef John Folse who Brees describes as a "Louisiana culinary icon." Folse not only is a chef but also does TV & radio work, a restaurant developer and the founder of the John Folse Culinary Institute.

Brees, who just retired from the Saints the past year supports the casino project. Not only will there be a casino resort but also a $35 million youth sports complex that will be funded by P2E the company that will bring the casino to Slidell. Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) is a development company based out of Los Angeles, California. The company will build the casino and operate it.

The Camellia Bay Casino plans to have a total of seven restaurants on site. The casino will be located in East St. Tammany Parish just outside of the city of Slidell. The $325 million project is described as a luxury resort and will also feature an Outdoor Amphitheater, resort-style pool & lazy river, a new dock & Marina, and a convention center.

The revenue and jobs from the casino would be an advantage for St. Tammany. The project is on hold until residents will vote on whether to reverse the 1996 vote to pan casinos in St. Tammany.

“I know that winning is about building the right team. Chef John Folse is a Louisiana culinary icon. And P2E has a proven track record of successfully building first-class resorts like I know Camellia Bay will be. That's why I'm so excited to announce our collaboration on our first signature steakhouse. We want everyone to come and experience the exceptionally high standard we have for our food here in Southeast Louisiana, with an added touch of my personal history playing for a region I love so much,” said Drew Brees.

“In Louisiana, you can’t have a good time without great food. I am proud to be a part of this tremendous opportunity for St. Tammany Parish,” said Folse. “Together with the team at Camellia Bay, we will build a first class-restaurant that is worthy of the association with one of Louisiana’s Greatest of All-Time - Drew Brees. We hope voters in St. Tammany will vote yes so we can make this a reality.”

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The Future Looks Bright for Camellia Bay, a New Casino Project Planned for St. Tammany

 

P2E, also known as Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, has developed a plan to build a $329 million casino resort called Camellia Bay in St. Tammany on the vacant land close to Interstate 10 twin spans. Developers have been working on the proposal for months now and are ready for the vote by St. Tammany voters this December.

The project can have a great impact on St. Tammany's economy. The casino would bring tourists to the area and draw them to other events and attractions that are helped along the Lake Pontchartrain waterfront in Slidell. Many locals are worried that the project could also have negative impacts on their community.

Some St. Tammany Community residents are concerned that the casino would bring crime and decline to property values. This is not necessarily the case according to the Convergence Strategy Group.

"Through the research we see moderately positive impacts from similar developments across the country all the way down to just no impact, but we have not been able to uncover the negative impacts that many communities have feared," said Suzanne Leckert, an author of the study.

CSG is a research firm that is based out of New Orleans. They have over 40 years of experience in studying the leisure and gaming industry. According to their study, they found that a casino in the Slidell area would likely have a "moderately positive to negligible impact on surrounding businesses."

The study included an intense look into the proposed development's impact on the community. This includes a range of impacts from small businesses and tourism to crime and marriage or divorce rates. They looked at data that has been collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census, municipal governments and interviews with local leaders.

Property values will not drop according to the study. CSG cited that after MGM Springfield opened in Springfield, Massachusetts property values saw a 21.4% increase compared to the smaller growth increase of 2.3% - 14.3% in surrounding areas. Another casino close to home in Baton Rouge, L’Auberge Casino, saw a higher property value increase close to the casino.

"The community impact study provides an abundance of data and information for St. Tammany residents to take into consideration to help them make an informed decision about this project," Masingill said. "This project ... has really been reviewed, has been scrutinized from every single angle. We know that there's a significant campaign of misinformation and distortions and, look, we want people to have all of the information."

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